Author's Note

With Christmas vacation and other shit happening in life, this chapter became delayed. I went on a longass family vacation, and that was nice to cool off with the things that happened around three months ago. First off, I am guilty of spending most of December playing Final Fantasy XV. (Before going on vacation)

Once I came back from my vacation, I found that my email was hacked? I don't know what happened, but I couldn't log into PSN, and I couldn't log into my email either. As someone who uses google docs to write my stories, well, it meant they were gone.

This chapter was hard to write. Really hard. Remember back in chapter 2 in the after note (I think) where I said I would try and introduce the first main hurdle? Although I put that into this chapter, it still feels as if it was the wrong time to put it.

I tried my best to make it work, you have my word for that. I have my goals set for why I specifically put this as the plot.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He was sitting alone in the spacious library at night, with a small lamp as his source of light. Jaune was recently absorbed in fiction novels. He used the novels as a source to momentarily escape reality, the reality that he hated so much. The creaking sounds of the wooden floors broke his concentration as he quickly turned off the lights. Hugging the book close to his chest, he hid behind one of the many shelves.

The sound of footprints grew louder as the mysterious person approached. Jaune felt his blood run cold as the person spoke out loud.

"Jaune, I know you're here. You weren't at your bedroom, and there is no other place you wander around in this house other than the library." It was his mother. Jaune held his breath as he panicked. There was little he could do. He removed himself from his hiding spot as he walked towards his mother. Looking at her eyes, he could see annoyance and anger.

Her eyes flicked towards the book that he held. Snatching the book away from him, she flipped open the book before skimming through the content.

"Fiction?" A shiver ran through his back as he heard the tone.

"What use will fiction do for you? In what way will fiction contribute in being successful? In what way will fiction get your father's attention? What will fiction ever repay you? Fiction will not help you become smarter. Fiction will not help you run a business. I was gonna let this slide if you were reading something worthwhile, but it seems that I expected too much from you." Jaune could only stare at the ground as he heard his mother's reprimanding.

"Look at me when I talk to you." Fear coursed through his body. He knew that tone. The one that would lead to the physical punishment. He slowly inched his face upwards. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the raised of his mother whip down towards his face.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Fuck." It was the only word that Jaune croaked as he woke up. He hadn't had a dream involving his family in a long time. He thought it was because he was away from them. Guess not. He let out a sigh as his mind drifted back towards the memory. He couldn't recall his exact age, but could recall that he was around middle school. A loud scoff escaped his lips. Did his mother seriously expect a middle schooler to find interest in informational books? A bad taste lingered in his mouth.

He could already tell he was gonna have a shit day. It was always like that. His nightmares were bad omens. It always brought forward the worst.

A quick recap of his week.

Luckily, his Sunday had gone well. He was able to finish assignments that were given to him, enjoy reading at the library, while ignoring the glares of the librarian that drove him out yesterday. Although he enjoyed the relaxing sensation of having time to oneself, Jaune needed work. Something to continually distract him. That was why he actually enjoyed going to his scheduled lectures.

Monday had passed pleasantly well too. It passed exactly how Jaune wanted his college life to. His literature class, consisting of one of his major problems, Ruby, had passed… too well. It seemed that Ruby was still embarrassed over their, for a lack of a better word, unique conversation. She actively avoided him, sitting at complete opposite ends with him. Blake was Blake. She didn't talk much, she didn't aim to interact with him, choosing to sit next to Ruby. He had achieved his goal.

Calculus II and Foundations of Business ended the same way. Weiss, although not avoiding him like Ruby, just simply ignored his presence. Which again, was exactly what he wanted. Something was wrong, everything was going exactly as he wanted to. His college life was becoming his Utopia. He was able to drown himself with work, avoiding unnecessary social interactions.

However, he was worried. Good things never lasted long. It was the way life just seemed to fuck with him. He expected his good streak to end. Because he had Taxonomy with Neo, he could already see the possible outcomes. Perhaps he was going to end up with broken bones because of the midget psychopath.

It was because of his expectations that surprise was so visibly shown on his face. Taxonomy had gone without any trouble. Neo had been tame the entire class. She had not bothered him, only sitting next to him. Was the world coming to end? He couldn't feel relief when he heard the professor dismiss the class. He could only feel more tense. Standing up slowly, Jaune exited the class before leaving for his second class for the day.

As he walked towards the lecture hall, large noises could be heard. Walking in the classroom, Jaune could see people huddled around in a circle. Jaune ignored the hall as he walked towards his seat.

"You fucking degenerate animal." Jaune's eyes flipped towards the source of the sound. Listening more attentively, Jaune could hear sounds of contact. He was much too familiar with the sounds of a beating. Standing up and shoving his way through the crowd, he could see two figures in the middle of the circle.

The person standing up was Cardin. He was repeatedly rearing his leg back, before kicking it forward to the person on the ground. The body on the ground shook as the attack made contact. Looking carefully at the other person, Jaune identified the person immediately. It was Sun. It was obvious who had won the fight. However, the fact didn't stop Cardin. Over and over and over and over again, the pained grunts coming from Sun could be heard. The crowd's reaction was just as bad, if not worse.

No one tried to intervene. They all watched Sun get beat.

Watching the scene, Jaune couldn't help but reminisce the moments when he was in the same shoes, getting beat by his father and his stepmothers. Something rose within Jaune, he didn't know what it was. Minding one's own business was Jaune's own motive, but he soon found himself about to stand up. He couldn't believe it himself.

But it was the sound of the door opening, with Professor Glynda roaring with anger that ended the fight. Both Cardin and Sun were sent away to the university Union Center. The rest of class had gone by quietly.

Before class started, Professor Glynda was asking the students exactly what had happened.

Listening to the responses, Jaune could imagine the scenario. It seemed that Cardin and Sun were having some form of argument. It seemed that they weren't speaking out loud, as no one in the class could tell the professor what the argument was about. According to the students, Sun had snapped and let loose the first swing. The fight initiated, and Jaune could finish the rest of the story, as he was present during that situation.

The professor thanked the students for the short recap before starting the lecture. Jaune couldn't help but think about Sun. Jaune had recalled the information that both Sun and the Winchester were planning to become politicians. He didn't know what they needed to major in, due to his lack of interest in the field, but knew that the two would have similar courses. If they did, then it was possible that the two attended the same class. It would mean that Jaune only saw a glimpse of what was a daily occurrence for Sun.

Class had passed quickly, and Jaune headed straight towards his dorm. Arriving at his residence, he couldn't find Sun. Jaune dismissed the fact and continued to work and finish his college assignments. Late afternoon was when Sun had came into the dorm. For what seemed like the first time, Sun had came into the dorm later than Jaune. Sun's face had a crestfallen face, and just headed straight for the bed. Jaune just briefly stared at Sun, before focusing back into his own work.

The next day was when Jaune learned that Cardin didn't receive any backlash for his actions. Jaune assumed that it had something to with his family's influence. On the other hand, Sun was forced to attend extra classes which focused on anger management and social behavior.

The injustice didn't stop there. Story of the incident spread throughout the campus quickly. When Jaune saw Sun at the hallways, he saw that Sun had fingers pointed at him and hatred directed at him from many students that were involved with Cardin. He heard from other students that Sun sat even more isolated in his classes.

Wednesday lectures had also passed by as a blur. When Jaune arrived at the dorm, Sun was sitting at his desk. Jaune was putting his bag down when he heard Sun speak.

"Are we friends?" It was a sudden question. Normally, Jaune would have immediately rejected the notion. Staring at Sun's face, Jaune knew that the question had more weight to it. Jaune didn't know if they could be considered friends or not. In honesty, Jaune had grown accustomed to Sun's presence. Sun was the closest thing to a friend that Jaune had, if Jaune followed the public's definition of a friend. It was this thinking that delayed Jaune's answer.

"Yeah." Although Jaune didn't know at the time, the delay in the answer made Sun interpret the answer in a different way. Given the atmosphere, it seemed that Sun only wanted to ask that question.

"You do know the problem won't be solved quickly, right?" Sun was surprised to hear Jaune continue the conversation.

"It's gonna take a fucking long time for other people to forget about this. It's gonna take even longer for you to fix the whole Faunus and human problem. If you're bothered by the whole harassment thing, I'm sorry, but I can only tell you to handle it yourself. Until you make the Winchester acknowledge you, the problem won't stop. Telling the Professors or others is only a temporary solution." Jaune was rambling now.

Jaune hated people who sugarcoated words. Even if the truth hurt and caused more pain, it was for the best. It was true. The problem would continue until Sun had stood for himself. Although the physical fight was a step, what Sun needed to do was different.

Sun just looked at Jaune. A small smile formed on his face. It was the first time that he heard Jaune speak so many words.

Jaune saw the smile and assumed that he had managed to at least give the Faunus help. He didn't know that the smile was only hiding the pain. He didn't know about the events that would transpire the very next day.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Waking up because of the nightmare, Jaune followed his routine and was heading out his dorm when he noticed that Sun was absent. He stared at the empty bed. Sun mostly had classes around lunch time, thus allowing him to sleep in. Sun wasn't exactly a morning person, so it was surprising to see him not sleeping. Dismissing the thought, Jaune left for his classes. He couldn't help but feel cold sweat drip down his face. Bad omens, no matter how much someone would ignore, were an actual thing.

The day had passed without any major events. Taxonomy had been normal, as with his Speech and Debate class. If there was one thing that worried Jaune, it was that Sun wasn't present during their Speech and Debate class. Maybe Sun needed some time off. Jaune could understand that. Taking a quick take-out from the cafeteria, he headed back towards his dorm.

As he arrived to the hallway of his dorm, he saw a small crowd. Looking carefully, they were huddled around… Jaune quickly ran towards the crowd. They were huddled around his room. Splitting the crowd, Jaune's eyes widened further as he saw police members investigating the room. Jumping over the 'do not enter' tape, he quickly tapped the shoulders of one of the policemen.

"What are you doing? Do you not see that you are not able to enter the area?" Jaune couldn't give two fucks about what the man was babbling.

"This is my dorm room." It was all the words Jaune needed to say for the policemen to understand. The other police officers approached Jaune. They gave each other quick nervous glances. The men dragged Jaune into the room, outside of the crowd's hearing range. The man took a deep breath before speaking out.

"That must mean you are Jaune Arc. I need you to be calm. It seems that.. your roommate, Sun Wu Kong, attempted suicide." The man finished.

What?

Jaune could only stand still with his eyes opened. He repeated the words in his head repeatedly until he caught onto a single word. The man had said attempted, not committed. It meant that Sun was still alive.

"Where is he?" He croaked out.

"Beacon Hospital." The policemen spoke. After hearing the location, Jaune dropped his backpack before sprinting towards the hospital. He didn't know why he was running. He was supposed to be composed, the one that was unflappable no matter what.

He wanted answers. There were so many questions running through his mind as he rammed into the crowd. Angered cries could be heard, but he didn't give a fuck. He rushed towards the hospital, taking the fastest route he could. As he ran, a single question repeated itself in his head.

Why?

Was it the bullying? No, Sun was stronger than that. Sure, he seemed a bit down the past day that Jaune saw him, but Sun was still cheerful. He still had that smile on his face.

No, that was the wrong conclusion to make. He barely knew Sun. He didn't make a single attempt to become acquainted with Sun. Whether Sun's personality was a mask or his true feelings, Jaune didn't know. He didn't know a single fucking thing about Sun.

That was why he needed to know. He knew he was being hypocritical. He was going against every single one of his ideals. He was heading into other people's business, he was involving himself with something that would gain attention. It was the frightening thought in his head that was causing him to be hypocritical.

Clothes drenched in sweat, Jaune finally reached the hospital. He quickly skidded to a stop in front of the counter before demanding Sun's room number. The desk worker shook with surprise, but quickly gathered composure before asking what his relation was. He didn't have time to deal with this shit. Yelling out that he was the roommate of said patient, the worker finally gave him the room number.

Jaune punched the elevator button and wiped around his body. He navigated his way around the hall as he arrived at his desired floor. He found the room number where his roommate was currently in. Jaune looked down to the floor, taking deep breaths. Fuck it. He opened the door as he steeled his resolve.

He walked towards the single hospital bed in the room. As he approached and saw Sun, Jaune couldn't help but grimace. Attempted suicide by hanging. The devilish rash marks around the neck were enough to justify it. Dark-gray eyes met blue ones.

"Why are you here?" Jaune grimaced a second time as he heard his roommate's words. The words were barely audible. The words came out as a silent croak. By the tone of Sun's voice, it seemed that he didn't want him in the room with himself.

Hearing his roommate's question, Jaune paused.

"To know if tried killing myself because of you?" Jaune's blood ran cold. He felt sick. He wanted to throw up. Sun had guessed exactly why he came. It was disgusting once Jaune realized himself of his own intentions. He just wanted to get rid of the guilt if he was one of the causes. He didn't even care about his roommate's welfare. He just came for his own incredibly-

"Fucking self-centered and selfish." His roommate finished his thoughts. Sun continued. "I just needed someone to rely on. Just one fucking person. I really thought you would be that person. I was so fucking wrong. At least other faunus gave me sympathetic glances. You just outright ignored me, and told me to deal with it myself. So my answer is this. You are not the direct cause, but know that you were the most probable person to prevent it. But you didn't. Happy now? You can leave now."

He couldn't leave like this.

"I tried. I tried to help. I tried to stop the fight between Cardin and you. I tried to give you words of advice to help you, not to ignore you. I tried." The words echoed weakly inside the room. Sun laughed, although it came in short wheezes.

"Well, you did a fucking great half-assed job at it. You should have tried harder. Just fucking leave." Had this been Sun's perception of him all this time? He couldn't blame him. It was exactly what he was. All this time, Sun had been friendly towards him, even when he harbored all these thoughts. Jaune really wanted to throw up.

He turned around to leave the room. He shouldn't have came here. Jaune closed the door to the room and was about to leave. As he was about to leave, two hands grasped his own. Whipping his head around, Jaune saw a middle aged woman with yellow hair.

He immediately identified her as Sun's mother. No, he really didn't want to face her right now.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm happy to see someone visit my son. He was always alone, having an erratic personality. I know this must cause you a lot of trouble mentally on your studies. I apologize deeply for having you involved in this kind of thing."

No.

"I just want to make one selfish request to you. My son has always been lonely. Can you please just be there for him?"

Please.

"He doesn't talk about his life with me at all. It's as if he just tries to hide things from he. I'm always kept in the dark. I don't know why he would try and end his own life. As his mother, it just-"

Stop.

Tears spilled out of her eyes as she couldn't finish her sentence.

"I'm sorry. Just go on your way. You shouldn't need to listen to an old woman's request. Just take this with you, it's around lunch time isn't it?" Looking towards his hand, he saw the woman place a wrapped package of food into his hand. After handing him the item, she entered Sun's room.

Jaune sprinted towards the nearest toilet before spilling his empty stomach's content into the toilet. His throat was burning. He didn't deserve those words. He didn't deserve the apologies at all. If anything, he should have been the one to apologize, groveling at her feet, begging for forgiveness.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Luckily for him, he was specially issued a hotel room from the university. They no longer had any available dorm rooms, so he was given the hotel room. For obvious reasons, they allowed him to momentarily stay away from his dorm room. He didn't have any afternoon classes left, so he was lying down on his bed for the entire day.

He still had the coffee club meeting in the afternoon, and he planned on going. It wasn't going to help lounging around all day, and he needed distractions. He left his room and headed towards the cafeteria, as it was the place the group met before heading out to the stores.

Once, he arrived, Jaune saw the group members chattering with each other. Upon seeing his arrival, the group turned silent. It was eerie. All of them gave him an empty stare. It wasn't until Ruby spoke up hesitantly that the group decided to move out towards a store in the city side. Jaune absentmindedly followed the group, face filled with wrinkles as he tried to forget his exchange of words with Sun.

Without realizing, Jaune had entered one of the dessert cafes. As usual, he decided to sit alone, isolated from the usual group. He finally realized what he wanted after staring at the menu for a long time.

He wanted something bitter. Something fucking bitter.

Espresso it was. The steam from the drink danced around Jaune's face as he took a sip of the beverage. Cancel his previous statement. He truly realized now what he wanted.

Alcohol. He wanted the bitter and burning sensation of alcohol.

His mood soured. Even coffee didn't help with it. He glanced back towards the group and saw that they were busy with their own conversations. Leaving in the middle of club activities could be detrimental, but they wouldn't do that, would they? He was a loner, he doubted that they cared so much for his attendance. He was about to stand up to head towards a bar, before a similar sight of brown and pink entered his line of sight.

Neo.

Fucking hell.

He wanted nothing to do with her at the current moment. She fidgeted with her phone before she held it out towards him. Curiosity getting the better of him, he sat back in the chair, taking the phone out of her hands. Scanning through the screen, he grinded his teeth and gripped the phone harder. Pictures of him talking to the police were already all over social media. Flipping through the comments, he concluded that everyone in the college knew that he was Sun's roommate.

His free hand was tapping the table in a loud fashion. His eyes were in complete slits as he returned the phone. Why couldn't people mind their own fucking business? Could they not give him and his roommate personal space? The looks of the other group members now made sense. They already knew that his roommate had attempted suicide.

"How does it feel being popular?" Neo's voice rang out through the restaurant. If it was any other situation, Jaune would've been surprised by the volume of her voice. It was the first time she spoke so loud. That wasn't the current problem.

She should know not to ask that kind of question to him at the present situation. She should know that he hated publicity. She should know that it was fucking rude and insensitive of her to ask a question like that. His roommate had attempted suicide, news of it spread throughout all of campus, he was the gossip topic of the month, being the roommate of someone who attempted suicide, and she dare asks how it feels being popular.

"Fuck off." Two words were all he needed to say. It was enough to convey the message. He could handle Neo's antics. However, at the current moment, it was just impossible to do so.

He must have spoke louder than he thought, as he felt the stares of other people aimed towards Neo and him. Looking around he saw Weiss staring at him with contempt and disdain. Flashes of their previous conversation came to mind.

"You're proposing a completely selfish, egocentric, self-serving, self-centered purpose!"

He really didn't want to deal with any of this shit right now.

Moving his eyes the slightest bit, Jaune positioned his eyes to barely be able to see Weiss. He saw her face filled with disbelief, anger, and disgust.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw that Neo was smiling, opening her mouth to say someth-

"I SAID TO FUCK OFF!" His shoulders heaved up and down as he gasped for breath. For what seemed like the hundredth time of the day, he didn't know why he yelled his words. No, he knew exactly why he yelled this time. It was because of the disgust he felt for himself. It was because he remembered how Weiss looked at him. It was because he knew the month would be filled with stress and unnecessary engagement with people because they knew he was Sun's roommate. It was because Neo was pushing him to his limits. It was because he was a fucking mess.

He needed to get away. He stood up, running towards the door. From the reflection in the glass, Jaune, for the last time that week, saw the Schnee's eyes. She was facing to the side, drinking her own coffee. Her eyes reflected loathing, detest, and hate. It didn't take a genius to figure out who her emotions were directed towards.

Mouth twisted into a scowl, he opened the door of the cafe, shutting it behind it as hard as he could. Thankfully, it had the desired effect that he wanted. The cafe was old, and the entrance was not a simple push or pull door, nor was it automatic. It was an antique, and by slamming it shut, a deafening boom could be heard. Was it enough to break the door? He didn't fucking care.

He just needed his fucking alcohol.

And get it he would.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Afternote

I always read my chapters after I finish writing them. To find errors in grammar, to see if I contradicted the story in some way, for reasons of the sort.

For this chapter, I read over and over again for pacing. It troubles me, because I'm a black and white sort of person when it comes to matters regarding myself. If I write a chapter, it's either good or shit. For the first time, it's gray for me. I have no fucking clue if the pacing is too sudden or acceptable.